Capitals honor Ovechkin for passing Howe on all-time goals list originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin made history on Dec. 23, scoring career goal no. 802 to pass Hall-of-Famer Gordie Howe for second all-time on the NHL’s all-time goals list.
Seventeen more goals and almost three months to the day later, Ovechkin had the chance to celebrate that awesome moment, again, with Capitals fans present at Capital One Arena.
Washington’s captain was honored pregame on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets for the feat with his wife Nastya, kids Sergei and Ilya, mother Tatyana, brother Mikhael, Monumental CEO and team owner Ted Leonsis, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and Red Wings director of pro scouting Mark Howe, the son of Gordie, all in attendance.
The ceremony started with a touching career-long video tribute, narrated by long-time teammate Nicklas Backstrom. The video ended with a clip from an old Ovechkin interview, where he said he believes passing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record is “impossible.”
“All that’s left is to do the impossible,” Backstrom said to conclude the tribute.
Ovechkin was showered with gifts from his family, the Capitals’ organization and the NHL as a whole. Here’s a complete list:
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Commemorative Tiffany crystal from the NHL
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A custom necklace from Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie
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An autographed USSR team stick from the 1974 Summit Series between USSR and Canada that was originally given to Gordie Howe
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Howe’s first goal of the 1974 Summit Series from the game puck
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A trophy in honor of goal no. 800, made out of 70 pounds of solid stainless steel and bronze. Ovechkin was presented the trophy by Capitals team president Dick Patrick
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Two mini bronze hockey sticks from his children, Sergei and Ilya
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A custom painting of Gordie Howe, presented by Ted Leonsis and Mark Howe
The celebration started long before the opening puck drop, however. Fans were greeted with an Ovechkin goal-tracker bobblehead upon entry into the stadium. When Ovechkin himself entered the arena, he was greeted by 200 season ticket holders as he walked into the Capitals’ dressing room.
Multiple of Ovechkin’s teammates got in on the fun, too, ditching their typical pregame designer suits for ‘Ovi’ t-shirts as they walked down the tunnel into the locker room.
During pregame warmups, every Capitals player wore a No. 8 sweaters to honor their captain. Monumental Sports & Entertainment plans to auction off the warmup sweaters, which will be signed, at a later date.
Capital One Arena was packed for the pregame tribute, filled with red No. 8 jerseys on all levels. Ovechkin earned a standing ovation from the crowd for nearly a minute once the whole ceremony concluded.
Ovechkin rewarded the Capitals’ faithful early on in the first period, too, scoring his 40th goal of the season to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead. The goal marked the 13th time Ovechkin has scored 40-plus goals in a season, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history.
It’s only right that Ovechkin made even more history on the same night he was honored for passing Howe.